The Scorpio Races

Monicap

My opinions on this book are thus:

It was enjoyable. Being written by one of my favorite authors, I did enjoy it.

It's not my favorite book by Maggie Steifvater, but it is good.

And, oh
my
god
The ending
is beautiful.

Like, If I was a crying sort of person, that ending would have moved me to tears. It was... Beautiful. I really can't think of a more appropriate word.

Annika Arguemore

The ending was too abrupt, in my opinion. But nevertheless, it was great and I loved the whole story. It was great in a way that it made my heart beat a little faster because of Puck and Sean, because of Gabe's unstoppable departure and the grief that comes before losing someone, because of Corr and Sean, because of the capaill uisce, etc. The aura this book emitted reminded me a lot of the aura The Hunger Games emitted. It just had that kind of vibe, you know?

Honestly, at first, I didn't know where it would go. It was one of those unpredictable books that gets a grip on you and you let it and it gives you much more than what you asked for. I also thought that the plot wouldn't work... but it did. It's because the story was placed in the most magical and inventive of hands a story could ever ask to be put in.

The only downside is sometimes I don't know what's going on and it's a little vague at times that you need to do a double-take but that's alright. It was still lovely either way. It was also great that it focused more on the races rather than the romance. Some YA authors tend to delve more into the romantic aspect of the book which shakes the plot. Every aspect of the plot needs to be balanced. So that itself was basically  a triumph.

Sierra

I enjoyed this book very much. Though I gave it 5 stars I do not believe this is one of the best books I've ever read, I just loved reading it. The writing flowed very well, the plot was intriguing, and I loved Sean and Corr. There was love and connection in this story but it was not between two teenagers, but showing a connection between people and their animals and I thought that was fantastic to have portrayed in this way. The ending of this book like many was emotional but I was pleasantly surprised at what happened. If you're looking for an easy read and an enjoyable book I would definitely suggest this.

Kahli Scott

I loved the dreamy yet brutal setting of this story, and as always that Stiefvater romance sucked me in. But I did find the plot extremely slow going at certain times, and a little repetitive. I think I prefer "All The Crooked Saints" as a standalone, but the unique setting - fantasy but not quite - of this one nearly compensates for the slow plot. And Sean, of course.

Never have I wanted to live to an island more. 

Veronica Overholt

menna

No, me thinking about thomas shelby every time i hear the word races while listening to the audiobook has no effect whatsoever on my rating of this book what are you talking about

Emily Orlando

*Actual rating: 3.5 stars* 
I read this book because I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing, and I wanted to read books by her other than the Raven Cycle series.
This book was pretty slow until the very, VERY end (by which I mean the last 3 chapters) but I enjoyed those chapters very much. The world to me was intriguing, but I didn't really care much about the characters (besides for Sean ;)) and overall it was an okay read.

Kirsten Simkiss

I found it to be an enjoyable read. Barring the man-eating, vicious horses from the ocean as the main mythological beast in the story, the typical sexism female racers face and classicism is something generally normal in horse racing stories with female protagonists. Especially given the general time period of the story, it wasn't unexpected to have the characters face those things and have to overcome them. The romance was a little bit predictable and the plot equally so, but it was enjoyable. The creatures were fantastic and the family and village life was endearing, but I would never want to go near one of the capaill uisce. Not a chance in hell.

Elisa Bieg

It took me a while to get into this book. 

For about half the book, I felt like it was dragging along, sort of dry and unappealing despite the talented narrators covering the two POVs in the audiobook.

But I stuck with it.

And then, around the half-way mark, something magical happened and I started falling in love with the story, with the MCs, and with the weird island where it all takes place. The story and the characters just suddenly came alive for me, and I felt so close to them and so invested in everything that was happening!

The Maggie Stiefvater magic, the same magic that pulled me in when reading The Raven Cycle, had me wrapped up in this lovely little story — chuckling at the sarcastic comments (coming mostly from Puck’s mouth, because who else?), mesmerized at the scenes involving kupalishkas, enraged and ready to battle when the story explored themes related to feminism, privilege, societal pressure, and discrimination. 

I am SO, so glad I stuck with it. It was 100% worth it, and I’m giving it 4 STARS even if I didn’t love the first half. Because I can. And because I want to. But mostly because it seems like bad karma to give magic less than 4 stars.

Read ittttt. 

Or even better, listen to it. Because the narrators are just AMAZING.

Turtle lover

Plot: 🐎🐎🐎🐎
enjoyment: 🐎🐎🐎

l.h.

marilynn

Let's just say I liked it way more than I was expecting to

Livia

3.5

Okay, I thought I would finish this book in at least 2 days. It's been 6 days. I just finished it. And I'll give credit to BTS for the distraction. My precious reading time are getting taken by them. But really, you can't blame them or me for that.

That aside, I love the concept of the race and water horses and them turning out to be scary horses. This book is mostly character driven, not really plot driven. I didn't know that going into it, so I was caught of guard by the first half of the book, where almost nothing crucial happened. The race is only around 20-ish pages, and I was hoping a bit more.

That said, I love Sean Kendrick. Precious emo baby.

Sonja H

Zu dem Buch hab ich nicht viel zu sagen: Pferde, Pferde aus dem Meer, ein gefährliches Pferderennen, Menschen, die Pferde kaufen und verkaufen, ein Junge und ein Mädchen, die Pferde reiten, Happy End.

Es war mein erstes Buch von Maggie Stiefvater und es wird vermutlich auch mein letztes gewesen sein. Es passiert einfach nichts und steckt voller Klischees.

Vielen gefällt das Buch. Mir nicht.

I liked it! 

Which surprises me because it was really slow paced. I think with this book don't go in expecting too much and I don't mean that in a negative way. The writing is great, descriptions are vivid and really doesn't dwell on anything flowery about something that simply isn't well... flowery and the characters aren't flat, but realistic to a point that they don't always have amazing, witty dialogue to accompany them. 

It's a great story about horse lovers, family, loss and the struggles in a mundane town like Thisby, with a touch of fantasy. 

It's not some epic race full of action and gore and hot cowboys sauntering around, instead a story that's very much character driven. There is romance (Yay! I'm sorry but romance in my opinion makes everything better in books, movies and anime, even if it's just a little), but again it doesn't take centre stage. However, I will say it's not insta-love (Another yay!) The romance is gradual and doesn't feel out of place and it's quite beautiful how it blossoms.

Any who...let me shut up before I start spewing spoilers.

“There are moments that you'll remember for the rest of your life and there are moments that you think you'll remember for the rest of your life, and it's not often they turn out to be the same moment.”

There's just something about trying to tame some bloodthirsty water horses for a deadly race that makes such a cool read! This dual POV book is a great upgrade from the copy and paste horse novels that are so prevalent on the market with a unique twist.

Inspired by Irish and Scottish mythology, this book takes place on the island of Thisby and alternates between the POV of Sean, a young but seasoned veteran and several time winner of the Scorpio Races, and Puck, a girl with the determination to win on her regular horse and save her family from their financial struggles (like every horse girl, right?). It's a slightly slower read, but it does really help add to the eerie and gloomy vibes that the island and story give off. 

If done correctly, this book would make such a wickedly cool movie. It has action, drama, killer horses, and tension that helps it stand out in the crowd. I liked how despite being so determined to ride in the race as the first girl ever to do so, Puck still had a vulnerable side under her tough-girl facade. Sean was an interesting character due to his level-headedness and how well he could steer a conversation or even the actions of those around him to suit his needs. While there is a small romance aspect to the story, it's at the end after a lot of tension and very YA friendly. Which is great because insta-love stories are always less fun and dramatic. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I can't say the island of Thisby calls my name, especially after the scenes with the killer horses coming inland and terrorizing everyone, but it's certainly a really cool place!

Doménica Corral

Leah Patton

Seven stars. Eight. Sixteen. One-hundred and fifety-two. This book was awesome.
I haven't fell in love with a literature character in a while but I have fallen for Sean Kendrick. His character seriously was so different from me that it was like everything he did made me think and contemplate and I love that. That's not to say I didn't love Puck as well. She and her family were written so well that it was heartbreaking to me when something was heartbreaking to them. The family and island dynamic was so believable and funny and just plain good that I felt myself just smiling through the book because I liked reading it so much. It was just a really great book. Funny in a clever way that made me laugh out loud. Serious in a clever way as well, sneaking in secret meaningful things and words that I was just blown away at times. The favorite Characters would have to be Finn Connolly, Puck Connolly, Sean Kendrick, Geaorge Holly, and Dory Maud who said Puck was a good bet.

Cindy Lieberman

An island hosts the annual Scorpio races on aggressive and blood-thirsty water horses; some racers have a lot on the line to win.

Amanda Kordeliski

This book gave me fits, I was prepared to fall in love with it from the beginning because I follow Stiefvater's blog and enjoyed her Mercy Falls trilogy. I think she writes beautifully and creates strong characters. That being said, the first 200 pages of this book were a struggle. Like her other books, the story is told in alternating POV's between the male and female main characters. I liked the slow build for the romance but I really needed more to happen in the first half of the book than building the setting. By the end of the book the island and the water horses were vivid and leapt off the page, you just have to stick with it. The last 200 pages are as fast paced and addicting as the first 200 are slow. In the end I ended up really enjoying the book and most of the characters. I did realize at the end I was much more invested in the relationship between Sean and his horse than the relationship between Sean/Kate. I wish there had been a pronunciation of the capaill uisce before page 80. I stumbled over the words for most of the book and finally ended up flagging the one instance in the book where how to pronounce it was located so I could flip back to remind myself.

kezzie

such a beautiful, magical story. I am in love with this book!

Julie D.

The ending though. I've never been so satisfied in my life.

Alexa Jade

** spoiler alert **
           I love when there's a good love without the book being all about love. You know?

Alexandra Sestito

Maggie wowed us with Shiver, made us cry with Linger, and left us wanting more after her Wolves of Mercy Falls series ended with Forever. In answer to our prayers she came out with her first stand-alone this past year: The Scorpio Races.

And what is the Scorpio Races about you may ask?

Killer water horses.

If you are all slightly confused please just calm down, take a moment to process what I just said, and then calmly return to your computer… I’ll wait.

Back? Good.

Yes, as I was saying Maggie’s newest book is about killer water horses. In The Scorpio Races we are introduced to the island of Thisby (a geographically obscure and rather timeless little chunk of land somewhere near Ireland) where every November the Scorpio Races are held. A deadly competition that leaves men strewn on the beach their blood turning the tides red. The winner gains fortune, and fame. The losers, fall prey to the deadly horses they ride. But this year Puck (AKA Kate, our main character) is entering the races, the first girl ever to do so, and Sean Kendrick (three-time winner) isn’t at all pleased to see her on his beach.

Even going into such an unusual premise I wasn’t at all prepared for what The Scorpio Races dished out.

It was very different from what I had come to expect from Stiefvater, I went in thinking The Scorpio Races would have many of the same aspects as Shiver did. Mainly romance and a really strong suspenseful pull. But it wasn’t like Shiver at all.

The Scorpio Races starts out slower than expected. If Shiver was an atom bomb then The Scorpio Races was a line of gun powder leading up to a keg.

I also was surprised to find that The Scorpio Races main focus wasn’t romance. If you thought you’d be getting a Sam/ Grace replay then you will be sadly disappointed. Most of the story centers around preparation of the races and exploring what they mean, and Sean and Puck’s reasons for running in them, all surrounded by the dangerous carnage of the training grounds, and of course Stiefvater’s beautiful prose (something I doubt I will ever stop geeking out about)!

After finishing the book I found myself slightly dumbfounded wondering how it was that Shiver and The Scorpio Races had come out of the

same persons mind, because they were so utterly different, and as I said before that difference kind of set me off kilter. In the end I felt as though I needed to read the book again just to get a good grasp on it. Because, for me, The Scorpio Races was a lot deeper than Shiver. I remember thinking when I read it that it felt a lot more adult. Not in the plot or the wording, but in the feeling and mood. Something solemn, and serious, and intense.

Because it wasn’t really about Killer Water Horses, or Love, or racing, or Irish pastries. It was about finding out what you want, and what you need, and sometimes those things are the same. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes you don’t get them. Sometimes you do. And, sometimes when you get them it’s not in the way you expect.

And it took me a good two weeks of contemplating the novel to get the above sentences. So, my rating of the Scorpio Races?

4.5 stars out of 5

I really liked the book and recommend it to anyone who reads YA. Whether you were a Shiver fan or not (though I can’t image who those people would be).

The only reason it didn’t receive a perfect 5 stars was on the account of the romance, as I had expected a little more fire from Maggie in that department, but otherwise, I really enjoyed the novel and hope you all will add it to your reading lists.

The Scorpio Races

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